the up-and
BOOMER World expedition boater
comers ERIC
EVAN GARCIA
Huckster and world expedition boater
BEN MARR
Big water outlaw
DANE JACKSON
Competition phenom
EMILY JACKSON
Female freestyle dominatrix
RAFA ORTIZ
Big drop boater
RUSH
STURGES Prolific expedition paddler
LU
URWIN Top female expedition and comp boater
ERIC JACKSON
» There will always be debate over who is the best kayaker in the world, but Eric Jackson’s name is always among the contenders. Eric “EJ” Jackson has dabbled in slalom, free- style, river running and instruction and dominated in every sphere. Before starting Jackson Kayak in 2003, EJ designed boats for Wave Sport. He has won the World Freestyle Championships four times as well as a myriad of World Cup, National K1 and C1 championships and other competitions. Jackson’s primary goal continues to be getting butts in whitewater boats. With a large emphasis on beginner boating, he maintains one of the most recognized brands in paddlesports and the most renowned family in whitewater.
RISA SHIMODA
» Paddled the Niagara Gorge, Russell Fork or Green River Narrows? You can thank Risa Shimoda. River steward and an unsung paddling hero, Shimoda’s grassroots advocacy and whitewater park promotion helped secure flows and increase access to rivers for paddlers across the U.S. A freestyle paddler herself, Shimoda is distinguished by being the first female to descend the Green River Narrows and the second female to run the North Fork Payette and Niagara Gorge. She also represented the U.S. in six Freestyle World Championships.
Her greatest contributions to the whitewater paddling scene came as a board member and twice President of American Whitewater where she was able to effect change. Shimoda also contributed to the whitewater community through founding and coordinating the National Organization of Whitewater Rodeos from 1989 to 2002.
JIM and JEFF SNYDER
» Squirt boat visionaries, the Snyder brothers revolutionized both boats and tricks on the river. Older brother and father of playboating, Jim, began lopping off the ends of kayaks to design his own breed of boats starting with “The Slice” in 1980. To date, he’s designed more than
70 kayaks. He and younger brother Jeff are credited with inventing squirt boating, the forefather of freestyle, changing the way people paddled by encouraging them to play with the water instead of race down it.
Jim also invented groundbreaking tricks, including the mystery move. After an injury that made sitting in a kayak all but unbearable, younger brother Jeff pioneered striding—riv- er running while standing in a kayak.
not to be forgotten
LARS HOLBEK 70 first descents including the Futaleufu
TOM JOHNSON
Designed and built the first rotomolded plastic kayak, the Hollowform River Chaser, in 1974
WALTER KIRSHBAUM First to run the Grand Canyon in a kayak in 1960
OLIVER COCK Pushed innovation in lifejackets, buoyancy aids and instruction in the early years of whitewater
MARTIN LITTON Rafting pioneer responsible for the protection of the West’s most renowned waterways including Utah’s Green River and the Grand Canyon
JON LUGBILL Multi-time slalom championship, squirt and freestyle pioneer and the only paddler ever to appear on a box of Wheaties
BILL MASON Award-winning artist, writer, filmmaker and conservationist at the forefront of recreational paddling
MIKHAIL KOLCHEVNIKOV Russian explorer, rafting pioneer and founding father of modern competitive rafting scene
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